This invention relates to a structure for holding guitar strings at a guitar bridge and particularly at the tremolo.
A prior art structure for holding guitar strings is shown in FIGS. 7 through 9. A guitar 80 has a body 81 on which strings 83 are supported. One end of each string 83 is installed on a tuning peg or bolt 84 on a head at the end of a neck 82. The other end of the string is installed on a bridge 85 supported on the body 81 and the string is stretched between its supports.
A bridge plate 86 having a cross section in the shape of an L, as shown in FIG. 9, is included in the bridge 85. A string saddle 87 which adjusts the height, position and length (tension) of each string 83 is also arranged on the plate 86. The height of the saddle 87 is adjustable by a height position adjusting screw 89 which rests on the bridge plate and passes vertically and threadedly through the saddle 87. Rotation of the screw 89 moves the saddle 87 up or down. The forward and back position of the saddle 87 can be adjusted by rotating the adjusting screw 88 which passes horizontally and threadedly through the saddle. The head end 88A of the screw is engaged with the stand-up portion 86A of the bridge plate 86, while the tension of the string 83 urges the saddle toward the guitar head, such that rotation of the screw 88 moves the saddle along the screw and in the front-back direction.
The string 83 is partly wrapped over a string holding part 90 on the upper peripheral surface of this saddle 87. The position of the saddle and the resulting height and length (intonation) of the string 83 are adjusted by suitably rotating the height position adjusting screw 89 and the front-back position adjusting screw 88.
In the prior art structure described above however, the stress of holding the saddle 87 in position is concentrated on the head 88A of the front-back position adjusting screw 88 supported to the stand-up part 86A of the bridge plate 86, in the final analysis. As the saddle height is raised or lowered by the height position adjusting screw 89, the screw 88 becomes tilted in incline and the engagement between the head 88A of the front-back position adjustment screw 88 and the stand-up part 86A of the bridge plate 86 thereby becomes tilted and may not be stable. These can cause shaking of the saddle due to the vibration energy of the strings during the course of the performance or could cause an erroneous string height or musical tone.
Furthermore, when all of the front-back position adjusting bolts 88 respectively for the various strings are engaged to the single stand-up part 86A that has been erected on the bridge plate 86, this restricts the design of the bridge part 85 making it difficult to uplift the design effect by free designing.